


Lift me up

by Luonnotar



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV, WeishenV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Claustrophobia, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Sort Of, Trapped In Elevator, Unresolved Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-11-28 07:15:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20962601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luonnotar/pseuds/Luonnotar
Summary: Kun just wants to go home and forget about his insufferable colleague, but a technical mishap throws a wrench into his plans





	Lift me up

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this work lives up to the prompter's expectations. 
> 
> Any feedback is welcome!

#

The meeting dragged on and on and threatened to spill over regular office hours. Kun was having a hard time even understanding what was currently being discussed. He was exhausted, hadn't had lunch, and arguing with the project manager had used up the last of his strength. He just sat there staring at his tablet, pressing the home button whenever the screen darkened. The tables and charts on it looked like a kaleidoscope.

"Okay, I think we're done here," came Ten's strident voice, jolting Kun back to reality. "Everything is clear with everyone, right?" He said those words while staring at Kun, who ignored him and focused on picking his things up. The whole assembly muttered in agreement and started filing out of the conference room. Kun hurried, not wanting to spend a minute more in the presence of...

"Kun, wait."

Goddamnit.

He turned towards the man he had to answer to for the duration of this project and waited in silence. Ten was slightly shorter than himself, but his presence commanded attention wherever he was, much to Kun's annoyance, an emotion that he could not quite keep off his voice when he answered, "Yes?"

"Look, I know we're in disagreement, but you are going to have to be a little more flexible if we want to maximize our results.” Ten looked so confident delivering those lines, there probably was no doubt in his mind that Kun would simply comply in the end.

“This is not about me being flexible, the numbers are what they are. My role is to provide cost projections and that is what I did. If we do things your way, we are going to end up 27% over budget. There is nothing I can do to change that, and you perfectly know it!” To his dismay, he realized that he’d all but shouted that last sentence. Heat flooded his face. He was usually much more in command of his own emotions. Working in finance for many years had taught him that. What was happening to him?

Thankfully, Ten did not look particularly bothered. He just waved his hand around and started walking towards the elevators. Kun had no choice but to follow.

"I'm sure that if anyone can figure out a solution to our little problem here, it's you. That's why I insisted on having you join the project." Ten's voice dripped of condescension, and Kun's blood was starting to boil. He had never asked to be put on Ten's project. Not only was the professional aspect of his life suffering from it, with his regular workload virtually tripling, but his personal life was also greatly affected. He worked longer hours, his stress levels were through the roof and he was having trouble sleeping because his mind kept going over what needed to be done before the deadline. And this guy was acting like he was doing him a favor.

Ten was notoriously difficult to work with. He never stuck to plans and changed his mind quite often, as if working on intuition. Somehow he was lucky enough to always exceed expectations with the projects he took on, so he was touted as a genius by management.

He seemed to think that he was a gift from the gods to anyone he interacted with. Kun did not feel blessed, to say the least. He was tired, exhaustion setting deep in his bones. There was a throbbing pressure building before his right eye. All he wanted was to go home, take a long hot shower and then cry himself to sleep. Or get drunk. Possibly both. He'd decide once he was out of there, away from Ten.

They had reached the elevators and Ten was still going on about how budgets were just "indications" that you could choose not to abide by. Kun just stayed silent. He wouldn't engage the manager anymore today. He was done. Tomorrow morning he'll send him an email explaining what clearly hadn't made it through Ten's skull. Kun was always better with written words anyway. He just needed to get out of there.

A ding was heard as one of the elevator doors slid open. After they both got in, Ten pressed both of their floors' numbers and smiled at Kun. "This doesn't have to be difficult, I'm willing to compromise on ad time and maybe on transportation costs but-"

"Can we please discuss this tomorrow?" Kun interrupted with a clipped voice. Ten complied, but he looked visibly displeased, his lips formed a tight line. _Good. _

Kun focused on the numbers flashing on the elevator's display board. 27. 26. 25. He was starting to relax the closer they got to his floor. It was barely 6:20 PM. He could go straight home and have a few hours all to himself. He might even have enough time to watch a movie, which hadn't done in a while. Anything work-related was off-limits tonight. That bottle of red wine that Xuxi had brought him back from a trip to Tuscany the previous spring would make everything better. He'd been saving it for a special occasion, but what could be more special than self-care? He needed to start prioritizing his own well-being before-

Something was wrong. The elevator had stopped moving. The lights inside the small square space had suddenly dimmed and the numbers on the display board had disappeared, replaced by a yellow triangle. Kun could only stare, uncomprehending.

"Well, that's just great," came Ten's voice from somewhere to his left. When Kun turned to him he saw he was looking at his phone, his face expressing mild annoyance.

"What? Why did we stop?" Kun sounded dumb to his own ears, but it was all the sound his brain allowed to go through his mouth while it was wrestling with the initial panic.

"Clearly something is wrong with the elevator," supplied Ten without deigning to look up from his phone. "There might be a power outage. I'm sure they'll get us out eventually."

Eventually did not sound like a reasonable time-frame to Kun. He couldn't be here. He needed to find a way to get out. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he dialed Sicheng's number on instinct, but the call went straight to voicemail. He belatedly remembered that his friend and coworker had called in sick that day.

_You need to calm down_. Easier said than done, but he had to listen to what he assumed was his voice of reason, echoing through his brain. Deep breaths, that's the way to go. There is no reason to be alarmed. He could clearly see the small air vents in the corners of the elevator's ceiling so he wasn't going to suffocate to death. He was not. But why was it so hard to breathe?

"Are you having a panic attack?" Kun couldn't decide whether Ten's question was tinged with worry or disgust. He did not turn around to find out.

"Asking that question is not helping," he answered, hating how weak and pathetic he sounded. Sweat was gathering on his hairline and back, and his stomach felt like it was twisted in knots. He slid against the metal wall, down to the floor, and tried to force himself to steady his breathing. _One, two, three... _

A faintly familiar voice from the outside interrupted him "Hello? Anybody in there?" It seemed to come from somewhere below the elevator floor.

Kun scrambled on his knees towards the doors and answered, "Yeah! Yes! It's Kun Qian!"

"Oh hi Kun! It's Dejun!"

Dejun was a junior analyst from Kun's department. A very nice, helpful kid. "What's going on out there? Can you get us out?"

"Uhh well... not exactly. I'm safety marshal on this floor but...I'm not exactly qualified to do much." Kun heard what seemed to be an embarrassed chuckle. He breathed deep then asked again, "Can you at least tell us what's going on?"

"Yeah! Yes, the elevator broke down, but you've probably noticed that already,” another chuckle, then, “The building's management called the maintenance company but they won't be able to send anyone for at least one hour."

Ten suddenly spoke up, and Kun realized that he'd stepped up to the elevator door and was standing really close to him. "One hour is a lot, Dejun. Are you sure there's no one else they can call on shorter notice?"

"I... will try to talk to them." Dejun sounded so unsure that Kun decided not to bother with hoping for a quicker resolution. He leaned back against the elevator wall, closed his eyes and tried to think positive thoughts. When nothing came to mind, he decided to think of nothing at all. Just an infinite white space filled with nothing but silence. He could get lost in that void, unfeeling, nothing holding him back. Yes, that was working for him. He felt his heart rate go down to normal. But then-

"Well, since we have so much time to kill, might as well go through the numbers again, how about that?" Ten's voice was surprisingly close, again. Kun opened his eyes and saw that the project manager was sitting to his left, just a few inches away.

Kun seemingly could not hide the look of horror on his face because Ten raised his hands in a placating way and said, "Okay, fine, forget I said anything," and returned to his phone.

Getting back to the peaceful headspace he had previously achieved proved to be impossible, so Kun pulled his earbuds out of his slacks’ pockets, picked his phone up and opened the Youtube app to check if a new episode of his favorite political satire show had been uploaded. While scrolling down he heard Ten exclaim, "Paw Patrol?"

Kun startled and turned to see him looking over his shoulder, adding, "My niece loves that show and would rather watch it on my phone than hanging out with me whenever my sister visits, so I know all the characters' names as well as the theme song's lyrics by heart." Ten laughed softly, and Kun knew that he was supposed to respond but his brain seemed caught up with the way his colleague’s eyes seemed to glint in the dim lighting. Had he ever seen him laugh in a way that was not sardonic? He was trying very hard to remember.

After a beat of silence, Ten prompted him, "Do you have a kid then?"

For some incomprehensible reason, Kun felt his cheeks heat up. "Uh no... I babysat my godson over the weekend." Chenle was Xuxi's six year-old son and had the cutest chubby cheeks Kun had ever seen on anyone. Just thinking about the little tyrant brought a smile to his face. "He too wouldn't leave my phone alone. I tried everything else. Kids these days seem to be born with a tech fixation."

"Tell me about it. My niece scratched me when I tried to take it away!" Ten pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal tiny scratches on the pale skin along his clavicle.

Kun laughed while pretending he had not been staring. "A feisty little one, then. She probably takes after her uncle.” Kun paused. “Uhh I mean…” He felt the blood drain from his face. Was he _flirting_ with Ten? Was the lack of oxygen making him delirious?

_Oh no_. He was doing so well ignoring his mild claustrophobia but he could feel his chest tighten again. Ten must have noticed something was wrong. He gently asked, "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Kun felt the air move around his face and realized his eyes were shut tight. When he opened them he saw Ten leaning close, fanning him using his access card, looking worried.

Kun forced himself to breathe through his nose and said, "I'll be fine, I just need space." Ten immediately moved back but Kun grabbed his wrist, suddenly not bearing for Ten to be too far. "Not too much space," he lamely added. What was wrong with him? Was stress and exhaustion finally making him snap? Ten did not seem to mind his odd behavior, though. He turned his hand over so that his fingers wrapped around Kun's and settled back next to him. "Would it help if I breathe with you? People do that on TV but I'm not sure if it works," he asked.

"It does," was all Kun could reply with. He hated showing vulnerability in general, but in particular to someone like Ten whom he had spent so much time actively disliking. But it was proving more and more difficult to remember exactly why he did. He tried to focus on taking slower, deeper breaths. Ten emulated him and after a short while, when Kun felt a bit more in control, he said, "I'm sorry you had to witness this."

Ten smiled. “Don’t worry about it. I used to get panic attacks all the time in college. I know how much they suck.”

That was not something Kun would have guessed about Ten’s past. “You mean you haven’t always been so confident that nothing could ever affect you?” He meant to tease him with the question, but suddenly he worried that he’d offended him. But Ten grinned and shook his head, "I do come off as a cocky bastard, don't I? It's something I had to work on early into my career. If you believe in yourself enough, people will too. Or so they said. I think it’s more like ‘If you pretend like you believe in yourself long enough, eventually you’ll convince yourself that you do’, at least that’s how it was for me.”

Kun was about to argue but then realized that Ten had been rubbing the back of his hand with his thumb and looked down. Ten noticed him looking down at the joined hands and gently let go, saying, “I’m a very tactile person. My mother used to tell me all the time that I never learned boundaries. I'm sorry, that wasn't appropriate. I don’t know how to help people without touching them,” a blush was creeping up his neck, dark enough for Kun to notice despite the weak lighting.

It was so endearing that Kun couldn't help but smile. He answered "I didn't mind, really-"

The elevator suddenly moved as the lights came on. Kun gasped and saw that Ten was already on his feet, extending a hand to help him up. Kun gratefully accepted and sighed in relief at the feeling of his legs stretching. The elevator stopped with a ding and the doors finally slid open. Standing right outside were Dejun, a middle-aged man and an open toolbox.

Dejun looked particularly proud of himself when he exclaimed, "It took less than an hour, after all!" He was carrying two water bottles that he handed to them, which seemed a bit excessive for the thirty or so minutes spent in an elevator, but Kun was grateful nonetheless. Breathing in the relatively fresh air of the offices' hallway made him feel like all his stress was melting away. He thanked Dejun and the maintenance technician and turned to Ten, saying, "We can look at those numbers now, if you want." He was exhausted but somehow feeling generous.

Ten laughed and answered, "I think we're good for today. You should go home and rest."

Kun grinned and waved at him before turning around and walking towards the staircase to get to his floor. He was in such a good mood that he whistled as he took the stairs two at a time. When he reached his department the cubicles were mostly empty. The sun had set while Kun was trapped in the elevator, and the cleaning crew hadn’t come in yet, so the lights were off.

He quickly checked his email, then turned off his laptop and slid it in his backpack, along with his charger and keys. As he was about to stand up, then spotted Ten coming up to his desk.

Kun smiled at him and said, "So did you decide to take me up on my offer to do some overtime?" When had he become so comfortable around the project manager that used to drive him up the wall?

Ten seemed to hesitate, looking down at Kun's feet. After a beat, he answered, "I just wanted to ask if you needed a ride home?"

Kun said "I'm good, I live three metro stops away from here. Thanks for offering though." He felt bad for turning him down, but he didn't want to impose, even if Ten had offered.

"Actually..." Ten breathed deep then looked him in the eyes. "I wanted to ask you to have dinner with me."

_Oh_. Okay. That was unexpected. Kun could only hold Ten’s stare in silence.

Ten’s lips slightly curled up when he said, “Don’t worry, this isn’t a work kind of dinner. I’m a workaholic, not a sadist. I just figured we’ve been working together for a while and today is the first time I’ve ever discussed anything personal with you.” A beat of silence, then: “I liked that. I’d like to know more about you. If that’s okay with you.”

Kun felt his brain gearing up to come up with several reasons why this was a bad idea, but he decided to shut it down, at least for tonight. “Yes, it’s okay. I mean yeah, I’d like it too.”

Ten’s smile seemed to light up the dark office. Kun wanted to see more of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading if you've made it this far! I do want to point out that in this story, Kun and Ten do not have a direct hierarchical link and that while Ten is the project manager, he's not Kun's manager for the duration of the project (or ever.) They are more or less on the same level professionally, so them dating (while not exactly encouraged by the company) shouldn't be problematic.


End file.
